U.S. stocks opened higher Monday, helped by a fresh retreat in the price of oil and a flurry of deals led by Dutch Media group VNU NV's acquisition of IMS Health Inc in a $7 billion cash and stock transaction. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 11 points at 10,460. The Nasdaq Composite rose 3.5 points to 2,116 while the S&P 500 edged up 0.63 point to 1,212.49.